Esri, USDA Forest Service publicize forestry data

Esri and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service unveiled Engagement Portfolio, a gallery of maps and apps of U.S. forestry data open to the public.

Engagement Portfolio opens up the Forestry Inventory and Analysis database, a trove of detailed information on the nation’s forest ecosystems, which the Forest Service has maintained for nearly a century.

“The tools we’re releasing today demonstrate the best of what’s possible through private-public partnerships,” says Carlos Rodriguez-Franco, acting deputy chief, research and development, USDA Forest Service. “We’re opening up data for more than 800 million acres of U.S. forests and woodlands that provide clean water, clean air, wildlife and fish habitat, recreational opportunities and resources for economic development.”

Large-scale map and a chart-populated perspective of the nation’s forests are available, as well as story maps and other interactive tools.

“Interactive access to data helps everyone make better decisions about our fragile ecosystem,” says John Steffenson, director, global business development, natural resources, Esri. “The Forest Service’s new Engagement Portfolio transforms the agency’s wealth of data into information products that anyone can relate to and that powerfully convey the value of the nation’s forests.”